William Wilfred Birdsall was a Quaker educator who was president of Swarthmore College from 1898 to 1902.
13 Facts About William Birdsall
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William Birdsall's mother, Mary Birdsall, was a premiere suffragist, woman's rights advocate, and editor in Indiana.
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William Birdsall was one of the first women to address the Indiana State Legislature, demanding equal rights to men.
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William Birdsall received a BS from Earlham College in 1873 and then went on to teach at Richmond High School in Indiana.
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William Birdsall became the president of the Boys High School in Wilmington, Delaware.
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In 1880 at age 26 William Birdsall married Viola Isabel McDill.
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William Birdsall's selection was an attempt by the Board of Managers to emphasize the Quaker qualities of the college.
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Mary Birdsall 8.
Between the years 1900 and 1901 William Birdsall's administration made a number of changes including a complete readjustment of the teaching staff, installation of a new heating system, building a new gym for the male students, and the introduction of a pre-medical course all between 1900 and 1901.
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William Birdsall's goal was to increase the number of Swarthmore students by offering an increased number of scholarships.
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William Birdsall succeeded in attracting more attention to the college from the Quaker community, but had critics among alumni, faculty, and students who thought that more attention should be placed on the quality of the school not its denominational affiliation.
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William Birdsall's critics were concerned that his experience did not prepare him for a college presidency.
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William Birdsall's successor was Joseph Swain who had been the president of Indiana University; he agreed only to come if he was given more authority as president of the college.
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William Birdsall remained in this position until his death on March 17,1909.